Listonian Free State
The Listonian Free State (LFS, or colloquially known as Listonia) is a sovereign country located on the northwestern portion of the continent of Melania. It is bordered on the north by the Melanian Sea, on the east by San Patricio, and on the south and west by Stervia. The LFS also shares a common point intersection on its southeastern corner with TD Corp. Administration Government The LFS is a unitary constitutional republic with the powers of government divided between executive, legislative and judicial roles. The Executive Executive authority vests in the State President, who is both head of state and government. The State President is elected for a five year term by the National Assembly, of which he or she must be a member. In practice, he or she is usually the leader of the largest political party or coalition of parties in the National Assembly. Upon taking the oath of office, the State President ceases to be a member of the National Assembly, and an un-elected member of the party's list moves up to fill the seat. The State President appoints the Deputy State President and Cabinet from among the members of the National Assembly, subject to approval by a majority vote. The President may be impeached and removed from office by a super-majority of the National Assembly for serious violation of the Constitution or the law, serious misconduct or inability to discharge the office. The other constitutional duties of the State President include: *serving as commander-in-chief of the Free Listonian Defense Forces in a time of war; *assenting to and signing Bills; *referring a Bill back to the National Assembly for reconsideration of the Bill's constitutionality; *referring a Bill to the Constitutional Court for a decision on the Bill's constitutionality; *summoning the National Assembly to an extraordinary sitting to conduct special business; *making any appointments that the Constitution or legislation requires the President to make, other than as head of the national executive; *appointing commissions of inquiry; *calling a national referendum in terms of an Act of the National Assembly; *receiving and recognizing foreign diplomatic and consular representatives; *appointing ambassadors, plenipotentiaries, and diplomatic and consular representatives; *pardoning or reprieving offenders and remitting any fines, penalties or forfeitures; and * conferring honors. The Legislative Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, which is elected for a fixed term of 5 years, but may be dissolved early if two conditions are met: (1) The State President must dissolve the National Assembly upon the adoption of of a resolution to dissolve by a majority of its members and (2) at least 6 months have passed since the National Assembly was constituted. It consists of 547 members, chosen by voters from party lists and allocated on the basis of proportional representation. The most recent election was on 5 October 305, resulting in the following composition: *Free Democratic Party - 279 *Socialist Party - 143 *Radical Party - 59 *Worker's Revolutionary Party - 32 *Cruisian Democratic Party - 18 *Conservative Nationalist Party - 9 *Party of Moun - 7 The Judiciary The Constitutional Court has original jurisdiction in cases arising out of constitutional law, and in all cases is the final court of appeal. It is composed of 11 justices (including a Chief Justice) who are appointed for terms of 15 years by the State President after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission and the leaders of the parties or factions in the National Assembly, subject to approval of a majority of the members of the National Assembly. Inferior criminal and civil court jurisdictions have been created by statute to serve various geographic areas of the LFS. Administrative Divisions As a unitary state, the LFS does not have local divisions; the national government administers directly to the people. Currently, however, there are proposals that would allow for limited devolution of power to local administrations. Political Parties ADD History ADD Geography ADD TEXT Demographics ADD TEXT National Symbols Economy The Listonian Free State enjoys a free-market economy with little intervention from the government, resulting in a superb standard of living for citizens of all races, creeds, genders, and classes. After the breakup of the former Federal Republic of Brolecia, the founders of the LFS undertook dramatic and progressive reforms to liberalize industry and banking, including the establishment of the Liston Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Liston Mercantile Exchange (LME). The operations of government are funded through taxes levied on the unimproved value of land throughout the country as well as excise taxes (gambling, alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) and user fees; there are no income taxes (personal or corporate) or sales taxes. As the constitution requires the government to issue a balanced budget unless there is a national emergency, revenues currently exceed expenditures and the government runs a surplus which is in turn held in the National Trust. This, combined with a national lottery, is the basis for education and public health funding as well as a social safety net for workers and retirees. Military The Free Listonian Defense Forces (FLDF) comprise the armed forces of the Listonian Free State. Always subordinate to civil authority, command is vested in the Minister of Defense except in a time of war or national emergency, when it vests in the State President. The Chief of the General Staff, who advises the Cabinet on military matters is the highest ranking commissioned officer of the FLDF. The FLDF is an all volunteer, professional military (there is no draft or compulsory service in the LFS) composed of land (army), sea (naval) and air force (the largest component) staffs. Men and women between the ages of 18-40 are eligible for admission. As of 305, there are approximately 95,000 active-duty enlisted and commissioned individuals in the FLDF. Constitutional law prohibits the deployment of the FLDF within the territory of the State except for training exercises or to repel foreign invasion. In addition to active-duty forces, the FLDF maintains a reserve complement of approximately 30,000 individuals who train regularly, but otherwise maintain their civilian lives. Because of the relatively small size (in terms of manpower) of the FLDF, remote weapons systems and research and development account for a large portion of the annual defense budget. The FLDF has invested heavily in cruise missile systems, unmanned attack vehicles (UAVs) and airborne stealth technologies. Upon independence, the LFS originally maintained only an air force. Although it is still the largest component of the FLDF, ground and naval forces were added several years ago to maintain tactical and strategic relevance for defense purposes. The nation honors its armed forces with the celebration of Air Force Day every March 22nd. Culture Languages ADD Religion ADD Music ADD Sports ADD Present Issues Current political and economic issues facing the LFS include Mounist separatist movements, particularly in the southern regions of the country, monetary stabilization and devolution of powers from the unitary government in Liston to regional or local authorities. Since the collapse of the Federal Republic of Brolecia, the question of the region administered by the Melanian Sea Treaty Organization (MESTO), known as Mestonia Park, has come to the forefront as residents of that territory have increased pressure on the LFS for resolution of sovereignty. See also Official Website Category:Nations ----